Chained Heart
by UnicornTalesLol
Summary: His heart was chained down. Her heart tried to destroy those chains. Anything she did only made matters worse. Marco must break the chains himself despite the horrors chasing him. "Don't you understand, Marco? You're on completely different sides. You're polar opposites. Natural born enemies. Sun and moon. Mewnian and Monster." "Because that's all you are. A monster."
1. Chapter 1

(Marco's P.O.V)

"MARCO!" Star practically screamed as she ran up to me. I turned towards her.

"Hey Star. What's up?" I asked. Star's face was suddenly consumed in a massive grin.

"The _Stars..."_ She laughed, pointing up to the sky. I rolled my eyes and began walking home, Star following suit.

"Very funny, Star. Well done..." I muttered sarcastically, but yet a big smirk was still evident on my face.

"I've been waiting to use that one for _ages!_ " Star bounced up and down as she skipped in front of me.

"Hey, hey Marco?"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna go to another dimension later?" I stopped walking.

"I dunno, Star... Isn't that a little risky? With all the drama that happened with Toffee and stuff... Not only that, but half of your wand is missing. To add more problems, aren't your parents keeping a close eye on you?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head.

"Well, yeah... But that's _exactly_ why I want to go to another dimension! It's kind of cramp with all this stuff happening... You know I hate being kept locked up! I'm a wildcat! A wild beast! The untamable monster! The-"

"Yeah, Star. I get it. It depends on what dimension you want to go to. We can't go to any dimensions where we're most likely to get in fights. - Especially if they're with monsters." I said. For a moment, my mind flashed to the monster tentacle that was once my arm.

 _"You can treat the symptoms, but you'll never cure the virus..."_

I shivered. I'm hoping that's just an empty threat.

"YES! Thank you, Marco!" Star screeched, crushing him in the death grip she called a "hug."

"You probably would have gone anyways." I muttered patting her back, but being sure to avoid her wings. I wonder what it's like to have those small little wings on your back...

Star stepped back. "Yeah. That's probably true." Star muttered, chewing on her wand.

"You really shouldn't do that. That's supposed to be a family treasure and you're _chewing_ on it." I pointed out.

"Meh."

"Star. I'm serious. You really _should_ be more careful with that thing. It has the power to destroy dimensions in the wrong hands. It's not a toy."

"Yeaahhhh! I know, Marco! I hear this all the time. I get it! But it's a habit!" Star whined. I sighed.

"We need to get you something to chew on..."

"Marco! Marco, you ready?" Star shouted from her room.

"One minute!" I shouted back. I picked up my safety pack and put it around my waist, under my hoodie. Its always better to be prepared when your going to another dimension - especially if your going with Star.

"Alright! I'm coming!" I looked around my room one last time, going through my mental checklist incase I may have forgotten something. I reluctantly closed my door, an uneasy feeling washing over me.

"C'mon Marco! Hurry up!" Star moaned.

"Geez. Calm down, I said I'm coming." I said as I stepped into her room, closing her door behind me. Star squealed, dimension scissors in her hand.

"Let's go! C'mon! Let's go already!" Star whined.

"Alright, alright. I'm here. Now we can go. But before we do-" I didn't have enough time to even ask her my question when she grabbed my arm and ripped a hole into the fabric of time, pulling me with her.

I screamed as we fell through a dark void.

"STAR! What did you do?!" I screamed. Star laughed like a maniac.

"I don't know! I'm sending us to a completely random place!" Star cackled.

"WHAT?! Your doing WHAT?! Star! You can't do that! Do you have any idea how-" My body slammed into the ground. I wheezed.

"Ohh... I think I broke something.." I muttered, trying to catch my breath. Great, I was winded and probably bruised. - Scratch that. I'm pretty sure I broke a rib...

"Marco! Marco! Look, look!" Star squealed, pulling me up. Everything spun for a few seconds before my vision cleared.

I looked to what Star was pointing to, clutching my ribs at the same time.

" _Woah..._ " I muttered in amazement. This place reminded me of Mewni... With all the rainbows and that. But there was a clear difference. For starters, all the castles were missing and there was only one village. Despite that, the village looked pretty rich. There was a crystal mine towards the east.

 _Probably why it looks so rich..._

Flowers decorated the surroundings of the village along with a clear meadow in the middle of the village. A bright rainbow covered the sky but something was off about it...

That's when I realised it had more then the normal colours. There was gold, black, silver, and even brown added to it. How does that even work? Overall it looked pretty amazing with the different colours.

People - I think they were people... Who knows. - Walked around, busy with their everyday lives. I noticed that the streets weren't made out of dirt or some kind of rock, but instead it was all grass with crystals imbedded to help guide you. A lot of the houses also had crystals covering the roof and sides.

"This place is amazing..." I muttered.

"Isn't it? It doesn't look like they're any monsters! Looks to me like we can just walk around freely!" Star grinned, looking at me expectantly with big eyes. I looked back to the village and scanned the population. It didn't look dangerous or like there was any monsters or enemies around...

I sighed. "Fine. But we'll have to go back soon. Who knows when your parents will check up on you again."

"YES! I promise you, you won't regret this Marco!" Star grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hill we were on top of down to the village. My ribs heaved painfully at the action.

 _That's not good..._

"C'mon! Hurry! I wanna explore!" Star squealed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Just slow down for a sec." I wretched my arm from Star's grip. I slowly regained my breath. "Alright. Let's go." I said as I completely regained my breath.

"Marco? Are you okay?" Star asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. I just needed a minute to catch up on my breath."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted so recklessly." Star apologized. I put my hand on her shoulder, trying to momentarily ignore the burning pain in my ribs.

"Its okay, Star."

"Are you sure?" Star looked away, an unsure look on her face. She was most likely thinking back to the Toffee incident.

"I'm sure. Now let's go." I took Star's hand and led her down to the village.

Star smiled at me as we jogged towards the crystallized village.

"This place is amazing, Marco!" Star shouted, running up to me.

"Yeah. It's so peaceful. I wouldn't mind coming here again."

"Really?!"

"Yeah." I smiled. Star hugged me.

"Then we'll come back in a few days!" Star squealed. A cold feeling washed over me, the uneasy feeling from earlier coming back in full force. My body filled with dread.

"I don't think you'll have the chance..." Someone said. I spun around to see a monster. It wasn't Ludo's kind of monster. (Pathetic, weak, loser, sorry excuse for a monster, etc.)

This one actually looked threatening. I could see it's muscles bulging from here. - Unless the muscles were actually a part of its body, (breed of monsters) then we're gonna be in one heck of a fight.

"Who are you?" I asked, getting into a fighting stance.

"The one about to eliminate you." The red monster replied, before charging towards us.

I moved to the side just as 'he'(?) swung his fist at me. The wind from the attack caught me by surprise. It was definitely a strong punch. Just one hit and he'll break a bone. I can't afford to get hit even once by this guy!

I dodged a few more of his punches, the violent nature to each hit keeping my guard up. I could hear Star behind me, blasting other monsters with her magic. I felt a lot safer knowing Star had my back, however I was also worried. Was she facing the same kind of monster I was?

I ducked when the monster went to capture my face with his large hand. Time seemed to slow down (or maybe it did because of the hamsters on the time wheel) as his hand passed by the top of my face. Fear spiked through me. If he actually managed to grab me, then he could probably crush my skull with his hand! What the heck?!

I jumped back and prepared myself, watching the monster's every move.

"Who _are_ you?" I asked.

"I am nothing but a mere solider." The monster replied. _Mere? Just a 'mere solider?' Like heck!_

"For who?" I stared at him cautiously.

"You will find out when he comes to take control of this pathetic dimension."

"Whats your name?"

"What is this? An interview?" The monster sneered. I thought about it.

"Actually, yeah. Why not? I'll need your name, age, height, preferences, specialties and qualifications." I grinned. The monster roared at me, its eyes turning red. _Now_ I've messed up. I'm _screwed._

"My name is Redturner!" He roared before charging at me. I didn't even have enough time to move to the side, as he headbutted my stomach. The air was forced out of me as I flew through the air. I tumbled onto the ground, little rocks - and I think a few crystals digging into my skin.

"Ah! Ow! Wait, what?" Words escaped my mouth before I slammed into a wall which cracked behind me. "That's gonna leave a mark..."

I groggily stood up, trying to not trip on my own feet. The pain in my ribs was back, full force but far worse. Like bad. Like _really_ bad. Like _seriously_ _ **really**_ bad. Like - I think you get the message. I ended up tripping on... I'm assuming my own feet because I don't even know what I tripped on. I hunched over on the ground. I expected to end up vomiting, but instead I coughed up blood.

"What the...?" I muttered, staring dizzily as my blood stained the grass. I looked up to see RedTurner stomping towards me. I looked at Star trying to blast the monster's and be overwhelmed by their numbers. I looked at the burning buildings surrounding me, the warrior's capturing the population. I watched as the large crystal that could be seen throughout the town, cracked and exploded. I listened to the screams of despair as all this happened.

I watched as a crystal by my feet burnt to dust.

A feeling of despair washed over me, as I felt all of _their_ despair.


	2. Chapter 2

Marco sat against the wall, a feeling of despair rushing over him. What could he do _? Could_ he even do _anything_ at all?

Marco could feel his body grow heavy. He looked down to see that there was blood leaking from underneath his body. Marco's eyes widened. He was _bleeding_? Marco's mind went into a frenzy. No, no, **no**! That wasn't possible! He was the _safe_ kid! He doesn't _bleed_! He doesn't get _hurt_! How is that even _possible_? Marco pushed himself to stand up, in hopes he could have a better chance to locate where he was bleeding from. Where was the blood coming from? Was it even his blood? Marco mentally sighed in relief, thinking it may not be his blood after all. His relief was short-lived because almost immediately he realized that someone around him was injured and bleeding. Were they alright? He had to go help them!

Marco got ready to run off, in search of whoever could be bleeding when he stopped. He hadn't even checked himself. Dread filled Marco as he looked down to the searing pain in his ribs. Marco felt like vomiting as he looked at the blood dripping from his stomach. Marco fell to his knees, vile rising in his throat. He had always been so careful, so how could he possibly get hurt like that?! Marco could have sworn he could partially seen a part of his inside. Right now, he hoped it was just a mere illusion but that didn't make it any less terrifiying. Marco looked down once again and sure enough, it had been an illusion the first time. However, Marco could see a large purple bruise covering his stomach, with a "little" horn stab drawing a heap of blood from his insides.

Redturner slowly stormed towards Marco's crouched form. Marco looked up, puling himself up so he could face Redturner. Marco still felt like he was going to be sick but he felt the need to push his own emotions aside. This dimension was crumbling. He could worry later but right now he had to fight.

With hatred filled words, Marco spoke; "You'll pay for this," He growled, venom lacing his voice. Marco was surprised by his own voice. It almost didn't even sound _human._ For a split moment, Marco's mind flashed to the tentacle that was once his arm. Marco's eyes flashed purple without him realizing. Redturner suddenly stopped, an uneasy feeling filling him. Was he entirely certain that he should attack this boy? Indecisively, he took a step back. He wasn't sure of his plan to attack at all. A dark aura surrounded Marco without his knowledge. Redturner could _feel_ the malice that was unknowingly coming from the boy.

The ground suddenly shook. Another large explosion rocked the ground as well. The ground shook again. Then again. Again. Again. It sounded similar to someone walking. Marco looked around, clearly confused as to what was repeatedly shaking the ground.

"My master has appeared in this dimension. Conquer has been achieved," Redturner spoke, victory lacing his words. Marco turnt back to Redturner, his face half a scowl and half a frown.

"Who is he? And why does he want to conquer this dimension? I can hardly believe that this dimension has done much wrong," Marco scowled.

"We have no personal vendetta - that I know of. It is merely because we are in need of more _slaves_ ," Redturner explained, standing straight as if he was waiting for something like a king or queen. Marco's eyes widened as he heard the word 'slaves.' Marco thought back to what he learnt in history about slaves and his entire body shook with fear - and anger. However, Marco's anger far out-ruled his fear.

"Explain to me right _now,_ ** _you pathetic being,"_** Marco growled, no longer feeling the need to be carful of what he was doing. All he wanted to do at that particular moment was rip Redturner to shreds and he felt as if he wouldn't even regret doing so.

Redturner glared fiercely at Marco but Marco could see in his eyes that he feared him. The fact that Marco could sense Redturner was afraid of him, oddly filled him with an unexplainable glee. Marco noticed Redturner begin to shake. Although he couldn't tell if it was because of fear or anger, it still oddly amused him.

"I am not afraid of the storm that comes my way," Marco grinned, already sensing what Redturner was about to say. He didn't know _how_ he knew this, but he didn't care. Marco's eyes flashed purple once more. "But you…S _hould_ be," Marco threatened, his physical pain long gone. Marco's eyes flashed purple once again and Redturner felt himself become indecisive once again. He knew one move could get him killed but at the same time, the boy before him was probably just a mere human from the Earth dimension. Redturner unintentionally took a step back, despite the fact he knew his master would most likely be watching more. Marco's eyes flashed purple again but this time staying that way.

A scream pierced the air and Marco's head snapped in the direction. The first thing he saw made his heart sink and his eyes flashed normally again.

Star was pinned up against a wall and there was no way for her to fight back. Marco snapped back to his senses.

"STAR!" Marco screamed, sprinting towards the Mewian girl. Star squeaked as the monsters began crowding in on her, blocking Star from his view. He passed straight by Redturner but the monster made no move to stop him. Redturner wasn't entirely sure why he didn't move to stop him but he found himself fearing the dark aura Marco had released earlier.

Sorry for the short chapter. Thank you all for replying and stuff. I appreciate it and I'll start updating this book. However, I cannot count how many times this was not saved and I had to rewrite it. I hope it at least comes up in the chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Maybe running at full speed wasn't the best choice Marco could make when his stomach was oozing blood like there was no tomorrow - though at that rate, Marco doubted there would be a tomorrow for him. Star screamed and despite his injuries, Marco found himself speeding up even more. Flipping into the air, Marco's body came raining down on a monster, kicking the purple thing straight in the face. The monster fell to the floor and Marco felt his body fall with it. Marco landed easily on the ground, unfazed by the monster's body beside him. Marco was fairly sure that monster would be out for the count for quite some time. Marco jumped up, avoiding a kick.

"Strawberry Sun Mash!" Star shouted, attempting to blast a monster off her. A sun in the shape of a strawberry shone brightly, temporarily blinding the green monster in front of her. Marco and Star both shared a grin as their eyes locked and Marco instantly knew what was coming next. Star has given herself just the opening she needed. Marco quickly spun behind another monster. The world slowed down for Marco as his eyes locked with Redturner's. The giant red monster had not moved but instead turned around to face Marco, a seemingly blank look on his face. Marco didn't have time to complement it as the world spun up again and Star screamed the words that she Marco had been waiting to hear.

"MEGA NARWHAL BLAST!" Star screeched like a banshee, as if her life depended on it - which, ironically, it did. Usually when Star used her magic it was for daily things - usually for something silly, or to help her procrastinate, or to make someone else clean something for her - or there was the daily monster attacks but they never really meant much, considering they were easily beat each time. But to say the least, it still felt weird for Marco to hear those words in an actual deadly situation. The only times that had been near deadly were the Toffee attacks - and the time Toffee had Marco abducted. Which came as a surprise considering Ludo usually forgot about and ignored Marco. That's what scared Marco the most about Toffee. Toffee made sure to not ignore Marco and managed to get to Star easily. It was without a doubt that Star cared for her friends and Toffee had used that to his advantage, and kidnapped him.

Marco could feel his anger rise but at the same time, his blood run cold. Just thinking of Toffee usually sent mixed emotions through Marco. Hatred, fear, resentment, sorrow, anger, _guilt._ If Marco hadn't been captured then Toffee wouldn't have been able to force Star to destroy her wand. Then Star wouldn't have lost half of her power and lost control of the wand multiple times.

 _'It's all my fault...'_ Marco thought bitterly, his eyes casting to the ground as Narwhals ambushed the monster's around him.

He was slammed into the floor, the wind knocked out of him and his pain seared in his ribs. Marco let out a groan of pain, trying to keep in his whimpers of pain.

"Now that I _know,_ is definitely gonna leave a mark..." Marco groaned, pulling himself up.

"MARCO! Are you okay?!" Star called, immediately rushing over to him. Star crouched next to Marco, trying to help him. She pulled her hands back as she noticed the pain on his face; she didn't want to hurt him more than he was already was.

"Are you okay..?" Star asked again, unsure of what else she could say when Marco did not answer her. She wanted to use her magic to help but she knew it wouldn't do much good considering last time she had attempted to use magic to heal, she had left a never-fading emotional scar on Marco and allowed his darkness to grow.

Fun times.

"I'm fine," Marco finally said, lifting his head up. "I just needed to catch my breath."

"Are you sure?" Star asked worriedly, helping Marco up.

"I'm fine," Marco snapped, pulling his arm out of Star's grasp. Marco glared at the ground before his eyes drifted to Star's face and he saw her hurt and surprise.

"Sorry, Star. It's just... Well, we're basically in a war zone now. How could _anyone_ possibly be _okay?_ " Marco sighed, running his hand through his brown hair.

"No, it's fine. I understand. It was a stupid question to begin with. I just didn't know what to say so I just asked. This place isn't really a good one to have an normal conversation topic..." Star muttered, looking at the ground, then the surrounding burning crystallized buildings. Marco nodded in agreement.

"What should we do?" Star asked. Marco looked at Star before looking around.

"I'm not entirely sure. I know we should leave but I doubt I'll ever sleep again knowing I could have done something but didn't."

"Then... What should we do? We can't win this all by ourselves. And my wand... I still can't control it. I'm having trouble just maintaining control, using my normal spells are hard enough," Star's eyes drooped, staring sadly at her wand before her eyes traveled down to the floor. Marco looked at Star, guessing that she must of been feeling useless at that moment. Marco felt his guilt multiply, as he stood up and embraced Star in a hug.

Star froze for a second, her arms limp at her sides before she regained her senses, and hugged Marco back.

"Marco… I don't know what to do. I'm scared. I can't control the wand, and even if I could, what could we do? This entire dimension will fall even if we help out. We'll be able to save some lives, but that won't change the fact that so many people are going to lose their lives, or be captured. I just… Feel so useless," Star sobbed, crying into Marco's hoodie. Marco sighed and held Star tighter, allowing her to cry into his shoulder.

For those few seconds, the world around them seemed to disappear as it was just the two of them. The destruction and danger didn't exist as it was just the two of them and they were safe inside of their embrace.

As if reality was just teasing them, reality came pouring down on the two of them like a waterfall. The quick peaceful moment over, Marco spoke up.

"I know Star, I'm scared too. But even if we can only save a few lives, it's better than saving no one at all, right? Saving a few lives over none. We can at least make a difference if it helps." Star looked up from Marco's shoulder, her eyes still glittering with tears waiting to fall.

"But what can I do? The wand lost half its power but yet, I can't control it."

"You just need to regain your balance." Marco assured her, smiling softly.

"Regain my balance?" Star looked up at him, her glittering eyes full of hope and trust. For a second, Marco looked himself in the abyss that were her eyes. He quickly snapped back to horrible reality.

"You had control with the wand when it had all its power, but now half is missing and you're struggling to find that other half. Stop trying to find the missing half and focus your mind on the power you have now. Weigh out the power and find the balance the power in between." Marco explained, giving a reassuring smile that instantly gave Star more hope and the confidence that she had needed. Star stood up, smiling down at Marco and offering him her hand. Marco grinned, taking her hand and allowing himself to be pulled up. Sparks flew as the their skin connected and it was like an invisible bond pulled them together, igniting their hearts and joining their minds together to become a hypersensitive couple to each other.

"Thanks Marco. I really needed that," Star cocked her head to the side, feeling the strange bond between them. "Do you feel it too?"

"Yeah. It's kinda weird, but... I like it," Marco smiled softly before the two two turned around, both taking a battle stance in perfect sync. The two shared a grin before running into the flames, feeling each other's heartbeat and emotions through their weird, un-explainable binding bond.

Aye people. Sorry for the slow updates. I'm a master of procrastination.

Thanks for all your reviews! I'm hoping to be able to update more. I have mocks and stuff but I generally don't care. I don't really see the stress of exams. .-. You answer questions - sure, they're a little harder than in classes but it just requires a little more thinnking?

That said, I'm 70% sure I'm failing Science so RIP me.

I haven't actually clicked on drafts at all recently but I promise I'll start actually being productive and doing some actual writing. So, try not to hate me too much. XD

OH, AND FEELS. I PLAN ON ADDING A LOT FEELS, JUST AN ADVANCED WARNING AND CRAP.

Leave a review? I love reading them! Also, thanks for all your words, they really put a smile on my dead, cold body. (I'm cold blooded and my friends agree with that. XD)

Adios!

-Lilly out.

*Proceeds to jump off a cliff.*


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for all the reviews! ^-^

I realise I should probably put warnings on these chapters just so you guys will know what the hell you're getting into and when you should run. (I would have suggested running at the first chapter but I forgot.)

Sorry about all the slow updates...

 ** _Warnings: Violence, Blood, slight feels. Probably failed fluff, depends on how you look at it. And uh, close character death?_** ** _You're welcome. :}_** ** _I'm a sadistic little fuck, I know._**

 ** _~Chapter 4 of Chained Heart~_**

* * *

Their movements were in perfect sync. Star would blast the monsters in front of them and any monsters strong enough to withstand her magical attacks or manage to dodge/sneak up on them, Marco would immediately act as Star's shield, protecting her from further harm.

He didn't know how he did it - maybe it was the adrenaline of battle or the invisible link that had somehow discreetly formed between the two without them noticing, hell, maybe it was the fact that he felt safe, _happy_ even, when he fought alongside Star, acting as her shield, but he had somehow managed to forget his pain entirely. His injury was still there, that was undeniable - if the mass of blood was anything to go by - but the pain had seemingly faded away.

For a split second, the pair's eyes locked together. They shared a look. They could both feel it. It was as if they were hypersensitive to each other, feeling the other's movements before they actually followed through. Their hearts beat in perfect synchronization, their souls side by side.

Despite their perfect synchronization, no one saw the darkness. The darker inner turmoil, threatening to destroy that sacred bond.

After all, the stars had to shine through the darkness of endless space to reach our planet while some stars were enveloped entirely by the darkness.

Marco jumped up above a monster's fist and quickly, using a sort of combo move, jumped off the monster's fist to avoid Star's attack which he earlier sensed. He landed on the ground, crouching immediately at the next fist that came his way. Instead of jumping up to attack, he remained on the ground as Star's next bolt flew overhead.

Marco flipped up, back-flipping and landing next to Star. His wounds stretched painfully at the action and Marco was immediately reminded of his injuries. In the midst of the battle and with the adrenaline flowing through his veins, he had genuinely forgot about his bleeding stomach. He wheezed as he landed, his vision blurring slightly but he immediately shook it off. He couldn't afford to slow down now...

He could practically feel Star's worried gaze as she most likely sensed his pain.

"Marc-." She started.

"I'm fine," Marco immediately stated. "Don't worry about me."

"But you're-."

"Now isn't the time," Marco sent a sideways glance to her, returning her worried glance with a determined look. "I'll be fine, Star. Sure, it hurts a lot, but that's it. I can't afford to slow down now. You should understand that," He stated, his determination following through their bond. Star blinked, sensing the unwavering of his heart. She nodded, accepting how he felt. She quickly blasted a monster that had managed to get close to them, although she didn't actually pay the monster any attention as she shot him away.

"Alright. I'll leave you be. But if it gets too much, tell me, okay?" She asked. Marco nodded, a smile on his face.

"Thank's for trusting me," He stated.

"How can I not trust you? You'e my best friend and- MOONLIGHT SUN BLAST! I'd trust you with my life at any moment," She smiled. Marco could feel the warm comfort radiating off her and despite being in the middle of a battlefield, he felt safe and she felt secure. They would always be there for each other...

They were one and the same.

Star yelped as the ground thudded. She froze, as did Marco as everything suddenly went quiet - excluding the crackling of fire. The monsters before them froze as well, wide eyed and fearful, although their eyes held... Respect?

Marco backed away from the monsters, his earlier feelings of security vanishing. He stepped next to Star just as the ground shook once more, this time sounding closer. Both Marco and Star nearly tripped as the ground trembled.

"Marco... What..." The ground shook again, and this time Marco fell to his knees, clutching his stomach as the pain returned, the adrenaline fading.

"What is that?" Star whispered, her voice full of fear. Marco looked up, eyes fearful and full of panic.

"I don't know..." He whispered back, scared that his voice would attract whatever was causing the violent tremors. The monsters they had been previously fighting lined up, as if waiting for their commander. Marco's eyes widened.

"Star. We have to get out of here," Marco stated, his mind realising what was happening. Star crouched down next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "This just got worse. I think that's their leader and I don't know about you, but I don't want to meet who or _what_ that is," Marco explained. Star nodded, looking up.

"Let's find some survivors and get outta here." Star helped Marco up, allowing him to use her to gain his balance. Marco smiled once more before releasing her, finding his own sense of balance and keeping himself up. The two stood up, turning around to run in the other direction, only to run straight into Redturner. Marco crashed to the ground. Star let out a scream of surprise as Redturner grabbed her as she too fell to the ground. Star struggled fruitlessly, desperately trying to free herself from the monster's crushing grip. Her wand lit up, but as Redturner restrained her arms, she was unable to get a clear shot of him.

"Star!" Marco cried, jumping up, only to be tackled from behind. He face planted the floor, his body skidding forward slightly, mud and rocks prickling his skin and aggravating his wound so much that he let out a cry of pain the second he connected to the ground.

The bond between Star and Marco seemed to fade away, leaving Marco not only absolutely physically drained but both mentally and spiritually. He groaned. Had his body been hurting this much the entire time? Or did he just not notice it? Either way, it _hurt._

Blinking, Marco regained his focus. He couldn't afford to be distracted now, despite the agonizing pain. He felt his arms being pulled back behind him, something attempting to restrain him. Marco weakly tried to resist but he wasn't in much of a position of power to do so. The ground trembled again and this time, Marco bounced off of the floor, falling straight back to his stomach. The monster's grip was released as whatever it was seemed surprised by the trembles. Marco hissed in pain. He could hear Star struggling in the background, desperately attempting to escape Redturner's monster death-grip. Judging from the sounds, she was clearly failing. Her struggled ceased for a couple of seconds when the ground trembled but she continued mere seconds after, albeit more violently than last time.

Marco rushed to his fist, only for that same monster to grab his arms and kick his knees from underneath him. Marco let out a yelp as he was forced to his knees, his arms thoroughly restrained behind. Marco grunted, trying to pull his arms from the monster's grasp. He let out a sigh of defeat as he allowed himself to be restrained. He couldn't fight back, not yet at least. He felt far too weak to be able to do that. His body ached and just keeping his eyes open was a struggle. His breathing was labored, exhausted from the earlier battles. He lifted his head, scanning the monsters around him. Even if he couldn't move, even if he couldn't fight now, he'd fight eventually and when he did, he wanted to know exactly what he was up against. Counting silently and slightly straining to turn around due to his body restrained, Marco managed to count the monsters around. 12, excluding Redturner and the one behind him.

The shaking had grown extremely violent by the time Marco had managed to finish counting and before he even realized, a towering figure stood behind him. Marco gulped as the shadows blocked out the light. Marco looked up at Star before him who had frozen in place, staring up at the figure behind Marco with a look that could only be described as absolute fear. Marco dreaded turning around. He could feel the dark magic radiating. He blinked, realising he had begun to shake. Luckily, he had his back to whatever monster was behind him and suddenly he felt extremely grateful. Taking a deep breath, Marco forced himself to remain calm. Whoever or whatever was behind him, he'd face. Not that he had a choice in the matter, but he'd face them anyways. With Star by his side, he was sure. He could do anything as long as they were side to side.

Marco's limps protested as he was pulled up, before being spun around and forced back to his knees. He took another deep breath. He had to keep in control. He couldn't afford to lose here. If not for his sake, then for Star. He had to protect her. He forced himself to look up, determination burning in his eyes. Although the determination in his eyes wavered for a second, it came back just as strong. If anything, it became stronger as it was fueled by the absolute fear that struck Marco. His breathing hitched in his throat.

Perhaps he should reconsider his original analysis. He and Star were strong without a doubt, there was no questioning that, but they had never, _never_ experienced something as powerful as this before.

Before him, stood a gigantic red and black monster that had to at least be 50 feet tall. Horrendous seething claws could be seen clearly and the monster had various spikes prodding from its form. Marco's gaze lingered on the monster's terrifying claws for a couple of seconds - they looked like they could claw through a skyscraper with no trouble at all - before his gaze moved to the the black horns sticking from the head. The demonic pitch black eyes with red slits. The slits glowed, giving off an even more demonic impression. Despite the deep shadow upon the monster's body, blocking most of its features from sight, the only thing Marco could see clearly was those demonic eyes.

Marco almost let out a whimper of both and pain and fear before he suppressed it. No way was he going to stoop so low. He may be absolutely terrified, but that didn't mean that he'd given up.

But as the terrifying monster moved its demonic eyes towards him, staring down at them with small regard, as if they were nothing more than insects - which Marco oddly found believable considering their size compared to his - Marco feared for his and Star's life. They had faced various threats before. But none were this dangerous and none were so far away from their level. They were far too outranked here.

"What is this?" The monster bellowed. Marco winced at the air around him vibrated. ' _Just his voice is so powerful...'_ Marco thought in dismay.

"Fighters, my league. They have resisted us so far," Redturner spoke with authority. Marco struggled to turn around, attempting to see Star. She was still frozen in place but it looked like she was just about regaining her senses. Marco snapped forward once more as the monster began reaching down, its giant hand reaching out for him and Star.

* * *

I'm sane! I promise I'm sane!

Nope... I lied.

So, there will be no fluff whatsoever next chapter. Unless, you guys somehow manage to - in your complete and utter despair - find a way to change Marco's protectiveness into fluff. Although, I doubt there'll be any of that either. It's a fight for survival in a way. Besides, they can't do much. ;3;

Reviews? :3


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